All Blog Posts Tagged 'retirement' (60)

The stereotypes abound: that Americans 55 and older are over the hill, on the shelf, and their headlights are getting dim. When the Social Security Act of 1935 established the retirement age of 65, average longevity was 62. In 2012, 77 years later, despite the reality that longevity for men is 78 and 80…

The Center for Productive Longevity (CPL), which serves as the bridge between people 55 and older and opportunities that enable them to continue in productive activities, is organizing three more meetings this fall in the “Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers” series. The meetings are designed to contribute to a national momentum for new-business creation, which enables Baby Boomers to remain…

As people continue to live longer and retire earlier, the term “Third-Stage Adulthood” has more relevance than ever before. Referring to people 62-85 years old, this stage of life is chock-full of senior workers who are qualified and ready to continue working after the traditional retirement age of 65 or sooner. This means that there is a large and growing talent pool with experience, expertise, seasoned judgment, and proven performance (referred to by CPL…

You can't ask yourself the question"Where should I invest my time and energy?"without asking a series of related questions. What do I want to do? Where does my passion lie? What changes would I have to make in my life to pursue this direction? Do I have the time or money to do it? How would my involvement…

When you retire from work, you gain more free time, but lose the structure that work builds into your life. At first, you might say "At last!", put up your feet, and get into a nice routine of watching daytime TV, going to lunch, and playing golf. There may go a time when you feel that unstructured days leave you feeling the same as if you ate nothing but donuts and junk food. You might enjoy the guilty pleasure for a while and even technically feel full, but not feel…

When you retire, you may get a good bye lunch and handsome parting gift, but never a crystal ball, which is what you need to answer the questions you ask when you go into retirement. Can you afford it? What if your savings aren't enough? What are your options? In the current economy, more people are fearing the answers to the big question "Will I run out of money in retirement?"

In an ideal world, people start saving early in their…

As a Boomer reaching retirement age, you may look back at your time backpacking in Europe right after college with fondness. Now that you have some time on your hands, you may want to enjoy carefree travel again. With time and money at your disposal, you can travel the US or travel the globe at any age, but health, terrorists, and the economy can potentially make your post-retirement trip a bit different than the one you took at 22. Traveling can be fun, but when you travel…

Recent economic news has made retirees think more carefully about spending large sums of money they might need later. Tightening the belt at any age is no fun, retirees who hoped to travel once they had more time see their dreams dying along with the economy. For the retiree who is adventurous and willing to do the legwork to plan it out, housesitting can be the way to travel and see the world or even another part to the county - on a retirement income.

When…

Most people spend part of their work day wishing they were somewhere else or had some more control over their time. The reality is, work gives structure and purpose most people miss in retirement if they leave the job. Of course, your family, your friends, your church, your hobbies, your aspirations add to the quality of your life, but work plays a role - or at least finances it. What is your purpose in life after you retire? Does your sense of purpose end right after your final…

You probably know people who retired in apparent good health and died shortly afterward. You know those who did everything right in terms of diet and exercise, yet died young. You hear stories of 100 year old people who have smoked, eaten red meat, and been sedentary all their lives. What is the best way to increase your odds of living longer after retirement? Can you really lengthen your life?

Studies indicate that you can live…

So, you're retired. You may eventually get a job or volunteer at the Y, but for now you enjoy sleeping in, planning your own time, puttering around the house. This relaxation may be just what you need after years in the daily grind, but how will it affect your family?

If your spouse is already retired or has been a stay-at-home worker, your arrival might be a mixed blessing. If your…

When you think of what you want to do in retirement, you are not just planning for yourself if you have a spouse or significant other (SO). When one person suddenly has time on their hands and often less income available for household expenses and discretionary spending, you need to have plenty of discussions to make sure that each of you gets at least some of the retirement you desire while keeping your relationship intact. Just because you are married or in a relationship…

In our last few blogs on retirement planning, we have emphasized the obvious - have lots of money on hand - as well have a plan for retirement that includes how will spend your time, where you will live, whether you will work elsewhere, etc. As a Baby Boomer, you may have grown up in the free and easy 60's and 70's where you valued spontaneity, but years of living have undoubtedly convinced you of the need to plan. Here are a few more "life housekeeping" things to…

Some people want to work until the undertaker carries them away, while others await the day when they can quit working and focus on other areas of life. Neither attitude is "wrong," but in either case, you should plan for retirement. Even if you find work very satisfying, changes in your health or in your job could force you to change your plans in an instant. Some degree of planning for retirement is necessary for everyone, even if you don't want to…

Our society pressures people to work longer, especially since life expectancy has increased and social programs like social security are strapped. If you are healthy and want to retire in your mid-60s, you must have all your financial ducks in a row if you want to maintain a style of life similar to your most productive working years - plus have a plan for the rest of your life. Though plans can go awry, you do not want to assume a vow of poverty in your retirement years.…

Some people look at their lives and say, "I don't ever want to retire." If you are in good health, enjoy most aspects of your job, and want the income, why should you? The question becomes "Will you remain in the same job or change jobs?"

Work gives structure to life, and can give purpose to it as well. You may like the routine of work, what you do, and who you work with. If you have been at the same place for years, you may be in a salary…

For some people, working is mainly a way to finance the travel they love. No continent, no state, no city, no attraction is off limits for the serious traveler who may lament that they need more time for each trip. When retirement comes along, the question of "will I travel" seems like a moot point, but it's not always that simple.

In retirement, you may have the time, but the money can be an issue. Costly trips that take big chunks of…

If you were playing Retirement Family Feud, the top 5 answers on the board to the question "What will you do with your time after you retire" might be these:

• Play golf
• Travel
• Visit the kids/grandkids

Since we are…

The official time line for the largest group of Americans in the history of the United States, the Baby Boomers generation, began with those Boomers born on January 1st, 1946 and ended with those born on December 31st, 1964. We now know that there are about 80 million of us in that category.

We also now know that 10,000 of us turn 65 years old every single day. Unfortunately, most of us have not prepared ourselves for retirement. The equity from our homes has taken a severe beating…

Move Before It’s Too Late

In today's blog post I talk about how it is easy to question why someone else does not make a move for the better but finding yourself in the same situation is a little unsettling.  Why is it that sometimes we think we can see what is best for someone else but not for ourselves.

Moving when we were…